


Soothing hurts

by Daughter_of_Scotland



Series: Rain's [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: BDSM, Dom!Barry, M/M, Pet Names, Praise Kink, Sub!Len, blowjob
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-26 23:56:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5025652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daughter_of_Scotland/pseuds/Daughter_of_Scotland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry is the best Dom for new and traumatized Subs in Central, even though Flash business keeps him from his passion a lot.<br/>At the annual Halloween party at his favorite club he is requested by a Sub that is considered the "hardest" of them all.<br/>Barry is surprised when that Sub turns out to be Len.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Soothing hurts

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [Soothing hurts [TRADUCCIÓN]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12212826) by [Evangeline_Evans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evangeline_Evans/pseuds/Evangeline_Evans)



> This was inspired by [this post on tumblr](http://bloodmooninspace.tumblr.com/post/131312555689).  
> The execution was pretty easy, which is a bit of a surprise, but I really like what I came up with.

Barry had discovered _Rain’s_ when he was at college. He’d felt oppressed at the time, still living with Joe. Iris had gone to Coast City for college and with her gone, Joe had concentrated all his over-protective parenting on Barry. Between that and school, Barry felt like he couldn’t breathe most days.

 

So when he wandered into the new BDSM club downtown, he wasn’t interested in submitting for one more person. He wanted to have control about some parts of his life - or someone else.

 

Elaine, the co-owner, took him under her wing, first teaching him the theory and the right mindset. Then she introduced him to seasoned subs, slowly easing him into being a dom. Making sure he understood that, while he might hold the whip, the sub was the one getting the attention, being more important than Barry.

 

Barry reveled in it. He went to the club at least once a week, sometimes twice.

He made a number of fast friends there, they felt like family after a few years.

When he came back after the coma, they threw a party to celebrate his return.

 

By the time he had defeated Zoom, Barry had become one of the most sought-after doms in Central City. He was considered to be kind, but strict. To be perfect for new subs, but also for those who had bad experience with former doms.

 

Sadly, Flash business kept him from going most times, but if he went… Oh, how it relaxed him.

It was something no one knew about him, something he kept for himself. His own private paradise.

 

So when he got the invitation to _Rain’s_ annual Halloween Masquerade, he made sure he wouldn’t be disturbed. The city would have to do without the Flash for the night.

 

He wore his best suit, a navy blue with deep red tie and a blue silk mask with falling peacock feathers.

 

Elaine kissed the air next to his cheeks when he entered. She was the presenting hostess, wearing a beautiful wedding dress splashed with fake blood. Her throat looked as if it had been cut and her face was hid by a complete facial mask.

 

“Barry, how lovely you could make it,” she said and handed him a small tablet. “You remember how it works?”

 

He nodded, smiling. “Yes, of course. Fill out the dance card and check for someone to flag, or wait for someone to flag you.”

 

She smiled widely. “As if you could ever forget. Here is the key to your private room, if you wish to use one. If you decide on a sub, they will be taken there.”

 

“Thank you,” Barry said, pocketed the key and went to the bar to fill out his dance card.

 

The evening went splendidly. Barry spent some time with his friend, former subs and other doms. He spoke to a few people who flagged him, but took no one to his room. He just felt like he was… Waiting for something. Someone, maybe.

 

“Darling,” came Elaine’s voice from his side and he turned to her, accepting the green cocktail she handed him. “Someone surprising flagged you.”

 

Barry blinked and took out his tablet. True to her word, there was a new number marked in green. “Why did you decide to tell me about this one?” he asked.

 

Elaine tittered. “He never flags anyone. He’s the hardest sub to get in this club!”

 

Barry frowned. “Then why did he pick me?”

 

She smiled. “I don’t know, do you? Come, I had him brought to your room. Please don’t say no to this one, Barry.” She stroked his cheek. “He might need you more than you ever needed me.”

 

That shut up any objections Barry might have had. If Elaine said so, this man must be really bad off.

Barry finished his drink and then walked to his room.

 

It was a small room, fitting a bed, a table, and a St. Andrew’s cross. The floor was covered in a plush red carpet, on which the man was kneeling, his back to the door.

 

Barry let his eyes wander from the stiff posture to the strained neck. He could see muscles clenching in the arms that were crossed on the man’s lower back.

Barry slowly walked around the man, seeing him tensing even more - and then he saw his face. The very familiar face.

“This is your last chance to back out, knowing -” Snart fell silent, clenching his jaw, and Barry didn’t want to run, he wanted – to soothe that stress away. “I knew it was you. I know what you look like in a mask.” Snart sounded resigned, weary.

“Why me?” Barry asked, too curious to leave, not without getting an answer. His voice had already dipped lower, into the usual register he used for new subs. It was like a switch in his brain went on, like it always did. This man in front of him wasn’t Snart, not Captain Cold. He was just Len, someone who needed to be taken care of.

“You might –” Len paused. Heaved a shaky sigh. “You might get me right.”

Barry reached for Len without thinking, “Hey, hey,” he murmured. “Calm down. I’m not going anywhere.”

Len’s eyes flitted up and met his behind the mask. “You’re not?” he asked and Barry’s heart clenched at the almost broken sound of it.

“No,” Barry answered and took Len’s face in both his hands. He could feel the tension melting from the other man’s jaw immediately, just by having contact. “I’ll take care of you, if you’ll let me, Len. I’ll make it all go away.”

Len let out a breath that sounded close to a sob. It made Barry _hurt_ and he wanted to destroy whoever made Len feel like this. But that was not what he was here for.

“Take off your shirt and shoes,” he told Len. “And then go right back into this position, okay, sweetheart?”

“Yes, sir,” Len answered instantly and started to move.

Barry stepped away to the desk, giving Len time to do as he’d asked. He looked over Len’s dance card again, reading the checked limits. Apparently, Len was up for a lot of the hard stuff - but Barry didn’t think that was what Len needed tonight. No, Barry couldn’t just use a cane on him and make him forget everything through pain. Maybe another day, but today…

Barry looked over to Len through his eyelashes. The man was kneeling again, his head bowed, but less tense. Yes, today would be about softness. Barry figured that Len didn’t get much of that in his life.

Barry took off his own mask and jacket, folding it neatly over a chair, before he also took off his shoes. This was way more comfortable for what he had planned.

 

“Tell me your safe word,” he said as he circled Len, admiring the muscled arms, the tattoos running up and down them and his back.

“It’s _Fire_ , sir,” Len answered and Barry couldn’t help the little snort that escaped him at that.

“Very good,” he said. “Do you want me to tell you how today is going to go, darling?”

“No, sir,” Len said, his voice shuddering again. “I don’t want to know, I… I trust you to do what you think is best.”

That surprised Barry, but he could work with it. Len would be surprised, though. He certainly expected something else, if Barry read him right. And he usually did.

“As you wish, darling,” Barry replied, noticing how Len shuddered at the nickname. “Let’s get you a bit more calm, first. You look like you’ve had a stressful day.”

At the first touch of Barry’s hands to Len’s shoulders, all the tension returned with a vengeance. Barry frowned. He was just gently resting his hands, Len shouldn’t get so tense just by that. Unless…

“Has someone hurt you, sweetheart?” Barry asked quietly. “Don’t you like being touched by skin?”

“I…” Len swallowed and stopped speaking.

“It’s alright,” Barry soothed, rubbing his hands left and right, feather-light touches on Len’s shoulders and neck. “You may speak freely when I ask you a question. But not any other time. Alright, darling?”

Len nodded. “Yes, sir,” he answered and cleared his throat. “Usually, uhm, people wear gloves.”

“Ah,” Barry nodded, never stopping in his touching. “Would you like me to use them, too?”

There was silence for a beat. “No,” Len said then. “I… Please don’t, sir.” His voice was rough already and Barry wondered if his approach would really turn out for the best. He didn’t want to break Len. He needed to be extra careful apparently.

“Very good,” he praised him. “Thank you, darling. I certainly enjoy touching your skin with my own. You feel very good.”

Len shuddered again, but the tension was slowly slipping out of him as Barry broadened his strokes, touching all over Len’s back.

“I like the art on you,” Barry continued. His voice stayed quiet, soothing. “It works very well for you. And your arms and back look wonderful. All muscle, I like that a lot.”

He bent down and dropped a light kiss on the base of Len’s neck, right where the first tattoo, a howling wolf’s head, started. “You’re very beautiful, sweetheart.”

Len jerked and Barry froze, his hands at Len’s wrists where he still clasped himself.

“Darling?” Barry asked, worry clear in his voice. “Are you okay?”

“I… Yes,” Len croaked. “I’m sorry, sir, I -”

“Shhhh,” Barry hushed him, kneeling behind him. “Don’t apologize. Not today, sweetheart. It’s just you and me, you’re doing wonderfully. Just let me take care of you, don’t fret about your reactions - as long as you obey the rule I told you. What was it, sweetheart?”

“Don’t talk unless it’s an answer to a question, sir,” Len answered immediately and Barry beamed against the skin of his back.

“Exactly, very good, darling. Now, relax. I want to taste the art on your skin.”

 

And Barry proceeded to do just that, kissing every inch, every tattoo, on Len’s back and arms, moving his mouth all over him, while his hands stayed on Len’s wrists, grounding him.

Len was shivering under him and Barry heard him take breaths that sounded more like sobs. But Len never said anything, just as Barry had told him to. He was truly doing wonderfully.

When Barry had touched every inch of Len’s skin he could reach from where he was sitting behind him with his mouth, he rose back to his feet, his hands moving back up Len’s arm to stay on his shoulders again, never breaking contact.

“I’ll move in front of you now,” Barry said. “You may close your eyes, or look at me, whatever you prefer. Alright, darling?”

“Yes, sir,” Len whispered, his voice sounding young and small. Barry wondered when the last time was that someone had touched Len without being harsh.

Barry slowly moved around Len, his hands never leaving the other man’s skin, trailing from his shoulders to his pecs.

Len’s eyes were closed when he stopped. Barry had expected that. He let his own eyes roam over the man before him. His chest was tattoo-free, but there were lots of scars scattered between a fine dusting of hair, the skin itself was nicely tanned and, of course, the muscles were even more pronounced on his front, giving him a set of abs that could rival Oliver’s any day.

Barry smiled at the thought. Len and Oliver were a lot alike, to be honest, he had thought that before. But this was not the moment to think about the Arrow.

Barry moved back to his knees, his hands trailing over Len’s throat, feeling the rapid pulse there for a second, before moving up and cradling Len’s face.

“Are you still alright, sweetheart?” Barry asked.

“Yes, sir,” Len answered, his eyes still closed. “I feel good.”

“Good,” Barry smiled and leaned forward to kiss Len’s forehead. His mouth then ghosted over each eyelid, the nose, the cheeks, the jaw, the chin. He left out Len’s mouth for now.

But then Len whimpered and bit his lip right after.

“Is something wrong, darling?” Barry asked, his thumbs moving in tiny circles on Len’s cheeks.

“I… Aren’t you… Aren’t you going to kiss me, sir?” Len asked, his voice confused but also embarrassed.

Barry almost cooed at the red that suddenly appeared in Len’s cheeks, but he restrained himself. “Would you like me to, darling?” he asked instead.

Len swallowed. “I… May I ask for it later?”

“You may,” Barry allowed. “I’ll allow you to ask for it, even if I haven’t asked you a question.”

“Thank you, sir,” Len answered immediately, relief clear in his voice.

Barry smiled and bent forward again, his mouth now moving along Len’s neck, his throat. He used his hand to gently tip Len’s head back so he could reach everywhere, before moving lower to the other man’s chest.

Barry paid special detail to each and every scar he saw, kissing them softly, before moving on.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered into Len’s skin. “You’re a fighter, a survivor. You’re strong, and you’re alive. Never forget that, sweetheart, never believe that you’re not perfectly alright the way you are.”

 

Wetness dripped on Barry’s cheek and he looked up sharply. Tears rolled down Len’s face while the man didn’t make a sound. As soon as Barry’s mouth left his skin, though, silent sobs wracked his body and he shuddered again and again.

Barry cursed inwardly. He must have gone too far.

He debated with himself if he should end the session, but then decided against it. Len hadn’t said his safe word, after all.

Instead, he rearranged himself so he was sitting instead, leaning back against the bed, before he pulled Len forward carefully.

“Shhh,” he hushed Len, moving him so he was leaning against Barry’s chest. Barry then proceeded to kiss his cheeks again, licking away the tears.

“It’s okay, beautiful,” he whispered. “You’re safe. I’m here, I’m not leaving, I’ve got you, sweetheart, you’re okay.”

He kept up the steady stream of praise and love, holding Len while the other man continued to cry silently. Barry thought the silence wasn’t due to him telling him to do so except for questions. He thought that Len had just learned very early to not make a sound when he wept.

Barry’s heart hurt at the thought. In that instance, he wanted to lock Len away in a safe space, where only he and people who wouldn’t hurt the other man would be able to be with him.

Finally, Len’s tears subsided and his breathing turned deeper. He was nuzzling against Barry’s neck, probably not even realizing he was doing it.

“There, there,” Barry murmured. “You back with me, darling?”

Len sighed. “Yes, sir,” he murmured. “I’m -” He swallowed the apology, Barry smiling against his forehead in response and praise.

“Sir? Would you… Could I ask for something?”

“Of course, darling,” Barry answered, rubbing Len’s back again. Thank god the rooms at _Rain’s_ were always kept warm. Len’s skin was not even cold to the touch. “Would you like that kiss now?”

“No, I…” Len moved and Barry let him up, until Len could see his face as he opened his eyes. They were wide and dark blue, still with a sheen of wetness to them. “I would like to suck your cock, sir. May I? Please?”

Barry opened his mouth and closed it again in confusion. He looked at Len’s face closely, thinking hard. He hadn’t intended to do anything sexual with Len tonight, he didn’t think that’s what the other man needed. But he never wanted to deny his subs what they wished for if he didn’t have a good reason for it.

“Is that really what you want, sweetheart?” Barry asked, stroking Len’s cheek. “You don’t have to do it for me.”

“I want to,” Len said, swallowing. “Please, sir, I really want to make you feel good.”

Ah. The need to please. Barry understood now.

“As you wish, darling,” he answered, having made up his mind. “Would you like me to sit on the bed while you can continue to kneel for it?”

“Yes, sir, please,” Len said, an eagerness in his voice that hadn’t been there before. Barry nodded and moved them carefully, unwilling to take his hand from Len for even a second.

 

In the end he ended up with his hand on Len’s neck and the other behind himself, propping himself up. Len kneeled between his legs, looking up at him with such trust in his eyes it was breaking Barry’s heart. Len looked like another sub Barry had met, a few years ago.

Derek had clearly experienced some bad dommes, Elaine had told him. Barry had spent quite a few sessions with the man, taking him apart piece by piece, until he wasn’t repulsed by his own need to please anymore. He had looked at Barry just like this. But one day he had just… Vanished. Barry had never stopped feeling haunted by the memory of those eyes, though. Looking at him as if he was offering a salvation that had been hungered for for too long.

The fact that Len looked at him just like that was… Humbling. But also sickening, because Barry couldn’t help but wonder who had hurt this beautiful man before him so much that it only took a bit of gentleness to reduce him to this state.

“Take what you need,” Barry told Len. “I’m right here, sweetheart.”

Len nodded and opened Barry’s pants with shaky hands, his eyes dropping to the task. Barry couldn’t deny that he was already getting hard just from what he’d done before, and, well, Len really _was_ beautiful.

So it didn’t take long for him to grow fully hard at the first tentative strokes and licks Len gave his cock after putting on one of the condoms that were supplied in the room. And when Len took him in his mouth, taking him in deep right from the beginning, stroking him with his tongue while sucking on him, Barry leaned his head back with a groan and barely managed to rub circles into Len’s neck instead of gripping him tightly.

“So good, sweetheart, you feel wonderful,” Barry groaned out. “You’re doing so well, making me feel so good.”

Len hummed around Barry’s cock and the heat pooling in his stomach grew with the vibrations.

“Perfect, darling,” Barry panted. “So, so good, god, I’m so close already. Will you make me cum, darling? Hmm, will you make me cum for you?”

Len whimpered and took him even deeper, clearly enthusiastic about the thought. He sucked harder, making Barry moan loudly.

“Almost there, darling, you’re perfect,” Barry breathed out. “Perfect for me, just me, my darling Len.”

He came with a shout as Len sucked him through the aftershocks. When Barry opened his eyes and looked down, Len was looking at him, meeting his eyes. They held gazes for a minute before Len slowly pulled off and took the condom of Barry’s cock, disposing it in the nearest trash can before putting Barry back into his pants and straightening him up.

“Thank you, darling, that was wonderful,” Barry said, stroking Len’s cheek again. Len leaned into the caress, closing his eyes.

 

“Come up here,” Barry said and scooted up the bed, opening his arms widely.

Len stared at him for a second but then obliged, moving into Barry’s embrace. They lay on the bed, arm in arm, Barry keeping Len close.

Len’s head was on Barry’s chest, right above his heart.

“Thank you,” Len murmured after what seemed like hours of them holding each other in silence.

“Anytime,” Barry murmured back. “Whenever you need me.”

Len squeezed him closer and soon he was breathing deeper, asleep.

Barry smiled and closed his own eyes. Sleep came easily.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love <3


End file.
